New Testament MA (joint Hons)

In the first two years of your degree (known as sub-honours) you will take required modules in New Testament language and literature along with modules from your chosen joint subject.

Typically, you will take one New Testament module per semester during your first two years (with language and literature alternating), and two modules per semester during your third and fourth year (known as Honours).

1st Year

Students are required to take the following compulsory modules in their first year:

• New Testament 1: Jesus and the Gospels: consideration of the historical contexts of the New Testament texts, including political, socio-economic and religious factors within the Greco-Roman world and Early Judaism.
• New Testament Greek 1: introduces the essential grammar, morphology, and vocabulary of New Testament Greek which will continue into New Testament Greek 2.

Students are required to take the following compulsory modules in their second year:

• New Testament 2: Paul and the Epistles: examines the developing theology of the New Testament, paying particular attention to the issue of unity and diversity, and to the themes of Christology and soteriology.
• New Testament Greek 2: continues from New Testament Greek 1 and introduces the second half of the essential grammar, morphology, and vocabulary of New Testament Greek.

If you take New Testament in your third and fourth years, you will choose from a variety of advanced modules ranging from reading the New Testament to studying its many contexts.

New Testament modules at Honours level include (but are not limited to):

• Ancient Jewish Literature from 1 Enoch to the Mishnah
• Epistle to the Hebrews: English Text
• The Gospel of Mark: Greek Text
• Reading in Second Temple Contexts
• Reading the Greek New Testament.

In fourth year, students also undertake a 10,000-word dissertation on a topic of their choice. The School provides significant support for the dissertation, with a breakdown of the assessment into different stages and a programme of seminars to assist in the development of advanced research and communication skills.

The sub-honours modules listed here are the compulsory modules that students must take in order to graduate in this subject. However, most students at St Andrews take additional modules, either in their primary subject or from other subjects they are interested in. For Honours-level, students choose from a range of Honours modules, some of which are listed above.